Jonas Vingegaard reclaimed the red jersey at the Vuelta a Espana as his Visma-Lease a Bike outfit came second in the team time trial on stage five.
They finished eight seconds behind UAE Team Emirates-XRG, who took the stage victory in Figueres by covering the 24.1km course in 25 minutes and 26 seconds.
Giulio Ciccone’s Lidl-Trek, who had set the benchmark early in the day, finished nine seconds behind the winners in third place.
UAE’s 74th victory of the season helped their trio of Juan Ayuso, Joao Almeida and Marc Soler all move eight seconds behind two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard in the overall standings.
France’s David Gaudu, who won the third stage and led the overall standings after four days of racing in Italy and France, is now sixth, 16 seconds behind Vingegaard, with Ciccone in fifth.
British rider Tom Pidcock’s Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team finished eighth, 22 seconds slower than winners UAE, and he is now 13th in the GC standings, 30 seconds behind Vingagaard.
Fifteen national time-trial champions took part in the fifth stage, with time for the teams set by the fourth rider home.
The sixth stage of the Vuelta on Thursday will be this year’s first true mountain test, spanning 171km across the Pyrenees from Olot in Catalonia to Pal in Andorra.
It will be followed by another mountain stage from Andorra la Vella to Cerler on Friday.